This delicious Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing features rotini pasta, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, black olives, and mozzarella cheese, all tossed in a flavorful vinaigrette. It’s a great side dish for family meals, pairing well with simple main courses like roasted vegetables or sandwiches. It’s also perfect for school lunches, work lunches, or picnics.
This pasta salad with an Italian twist is easy to prepare and taking less than 20 minutes. It’s also healthy, as it’s packed with vegetables like cucumbers and tomatoes. To make it even healthier, I’ve included some alternatives to increase the fiber content.
This pasta salad is perfect for making ahead (It’s usually refrigerated overnight before serving) and is a budget-friendly option.
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Ingredients
Yield: 6 Servings
- Rotini Pasta – 16 oz (or any short pasta)
- Cherry Tomatoes – 1 pint, halved
- English Cucumber – 1 large, diced
- Black Olives – 1 can (6 oz), sliced and drained
- Mozzarella Cheese – 8 oz, cut into small cubes
- Red Onion – 1/2 small, finely chopped
- Italian Dressing – 1 cup (Store-bought or Homemade)
- Fresh Parsley – 2 tablespoons, chopped
Suggestions & Alternatives:
- Healthy – Replace regular pasta with chickpea pasta or a type of whole wheat pasta to increase fiber content.
Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing
This Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing is fresh, easy, and packed with rotini, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, mozzarella, and zesty dressing. good for summer meals, potlucks, and make-ahead sides.
Ingredients
- 16 oz Rotini Pasta
- 1 pint Cherry Tomatoes, halved
- 1 large English Cucumber, diced
- 1 can Black Olives, 6 oz, sliced and drained
- 8 oz Mozzarella Cheese, cut into small cubes
- 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup Italian Dressing (Store-bought or Homemade)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (Optional)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the rotini pasta and cook according to the package instructions (It should be firm so it doesn't become mushy when mixed with water).
- Drain the pasta and rinse it with water (this step prevents the pasta from sticking together).
- While the pasta cools in the colander, chop the tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, olives, and cheese (In roughly equal-sized pieces).
- Transfer the pasta to a large bowl, then add all the vegetables and mozzarella cubes. Pour the Italian dressing over the ingredients and gently toss to combine.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or overnight. Stir before serving and enjoy.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving:Calories: 344Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 6gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 654mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 2gSugar: 6gProtein: 14g
Just a heads up — The calorie count and nutritional info here are just estimates! The actual numbers might vary a bit depending on the brands and ingredients you use.